Drilling for safety

As Sundance High School's first active shooter drill came to an end on Thursday, almost every student strolled casually back into the building. Even a small group that had made the decision to shelter in place rather than flee was able to successfully avoid harm from the "shooter", though most chose to make a beeline for the other end of campus.

No weapons were involved in the session, arranged by Crook County Sheriff's Office, and the kids were warned ahead of time that they would be asked to put their ALICE training to use. None of the students knew exactly when the drill would begin.

Titus Schelling bravely took on the role of the "shooter", escorted by Deputy Ed Robinson to be sure he was safe at all times. Schelling followed a pre-determined path through the school, first heading to the music room before roaming the halls while attempting to "break" into classrooms.

Finding every door already locked and barricaded, and with most of the kids already outside the building, Schelling headed upstairs. Principal Jim O'Connor watched his progress on the security cameras and announced his movements over the loudspeaker to help every student and teacher make the right decisions for their safety.

Teacher Jim Benvenga was the hero in this instance, "wrestling" Schelling to the ground and securing him until law enforcement arrived. Had this been a real active shooter situation, of course, it could have been any individual in the building who ended the threat, or perhaps nobody would have needed to at all; reacting to a situation as it unfolds is the idea behind ALICE training.

First introduced to this area in 2015 by Sheriff Jeff Hodge, ALICE is widely believed to be a much better response to an active shooter situation than its predecessors. The program stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate and teaches a wide range of skills for a life-or-death situation, from throwing chairs at the threat to fleeing from the nearest safe exit.

ALICE training is under the purview of Deputy Robinson and has been taught to civilians, government workers and the kids of Crook County's schools. It helps an individual determine their best path to survival in a dangerous encounter and gives them the confidence to do whatever is needed – something the sheriff believes is vital in a rural area where law enforcement will take at least several minutes to arrive.

In Thursday's drill, the kids had found their paths to safety before law enforcement had even arrived. Though the timeline of the drill had been planned such that deputies arrived within the expected time, Schelling had already been restrained and the students were patiently tucked away, waiting to resume the afternoon's lessons.

The drill was also intended to inform the school and Sheriff's Department as to improvements that could be made to the school's response in areas such as communication.

"I was very impressed with the way the kids reacted and used their training to avoid the shooter and evacuate the building or shelter in place," says Sheriff Hodge.

"This exercise will help improve communications between the schools and Sheriff's Office and I hope to organize and plan drills with the rest of the schools in the county in the near future and next year."